Chapter 298 Helping Each Other
At the end of September, the tung leaves in Tonghua Lane have begun to turn yellow. It won't be long before all the leaves fall from the branches, leaving only bare branches standing in the wind to spend the rest of the cold winter.
The door of the newly rented house was open at this moment, and a new plaque was hung above the door. It was carved in wood with the simple words "Ai Shang" and a tung flower on the side, exactly the same logo as on the clothes.
The room had been mostly painted, but the people working were still there, probably the carpenters. Xu Qingming was leading someone to look at it, with paper in his hand, pointing here and there from time to time, nodding and shaking his head, and saying something.
Wen Wan went in and called out to him, "Seventh Brother!"
Xu Qingming's voice stopped abruptly, and he turned around and responded, "I'm coming!" His eyes seemed to fall on Li Lai Yu's face inadvertently, and he nodded slightly as a greeting.
Li Laiyu also nodded slightly, making it seem like the two of them were exchanging secret signals. Wen Wan pretended not to know, and glanced around the room before asking Xu Qingming, "Is it almost done?"
"Almost there. The place to store the fabrics is ready, but the places to hang clothes and iron them are still there. I took the technician to the department store to take a look. I still need your opinion on this."
"It doesn't have to be too complicated, actually. I'm planning on moving only one of the two sewing machines over here, placing it next to the window. Then I'll need a desk for cutting and ironing. The only thing left is a place to hang clothes. I saw the department store and thought I could emulate that, but I don't want to make it exactly the same. My place is different from theirs, and I don't have many clothes to hang, but not having a place for them wouldn't work."
Li Lai Yu stood not far from her without saying a word, looking up and around.
Wen Wan really had other intentions when she called her over, but she was looking at her seriously, as if she really wanted to give some advice.
Xu Qingming finally couldn't hold back and asked her, "Do you have any ideas? Let's discuss it."
Li Lai Yu glanced at him, raised his hand and pointed at the wall and said: "Don't put up a shelf in the middle of the room. There is no need to put it up since it is not used. Put it up on the wall. Three walls will be enough for ten or eight sets of clothes." This way the room will be neat and tidy and look better.
Xu Qingming's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he nodded approvingly: "That makes sense."
Wen Wan secretly rolled her eyes in annoyance. A man with amorous feelings is completely clueless. Of course, upon closer inspection, Li Laiyu's words made sense.
"Laiyu, can you tell me a little more details?"
Li Lai Yu really didn't know how to explain it in more detail. She had just remembered this.
Xu Qingming said, "There's no need to rush this. Let's think about it slowly. I'll have some time in the next two days to pack up and move the things I need to move here."
Wen Wan nodded: "Okay, I just finished the design of the winter clothes, and I haven't bought all the materials yet. I'll move these things over first, and then think about how to hang the clothes after they are made." Anyway, she didn't want to stack them layer by layer in the closet. Beautiful clothes should be hung up so that people can see their beauty.
After saying that, he glanced at Xu Qingming and said, "When it's almost done, let's go back. Will you cook today?"
Xu Qingming agreed readily: "Okay, no problem. I brought a lot of things from home when I came here this morning. Classmate Li Laiyu, would you like to come along? It will be more fun with more people." This was all premeditated. After all, Wen Wan had told him before that she would invite people over.
"Yes, Lai Yu, if you're not busy this afternoon, come over for dinner! It's not easy for me to ask my seventh brother to cook a meal. If you're busy, we'll all go help you after dinner!"
Li Laiyu nodded without any objection.
Wen Wan raised her eyebrows proudly at Xu Qingming.
Xu Qingming said a few words to the carpenter, then sent him away and hurried to the back. When he came out again, he was holding something in his hand.
Wen Wan waited for them to come out, locked the door, and followed Xu Qingming to ask, "Did your uncle prepare this? What did he prepare?"
"There are his secret recipe of crispy peanuts, and my mother's specialty, salt-baked duck."
Wen Wan sighed, "Uncle and aunt are so lucky. Seventh brother, learn from them. Besides heredity, if you could learn even a little bit of their essence, you wouldn't be single now!"
"Wen Xiaowan, do you want to be beaten?"
The two of them were talking and laughing, not acting seriously.
Li Lai Yu took a step back and looked a little dazed. His eyes passed through the two people and seemed to drift far away.
It was already late when the three of them got home. Lu Dongping didn't know Wen Wan was coming back, so he cooked and ate by himself. He just cleaned up the kitchen and was about to go out.
The courtyard door was ajar. Wen Wan pushed it open and went in, calling out, "Dongping!"
Lu Dongping came out of the house with water in his hands and his sleeves rolled up high.
"No classes this afternoon?"
After saying that, without waiting for Wen Wan's answer, he greeted Xu Qingming and Li Laiyu.
"Have you eaten yet?"
Xu Qingming walked towards the kitchen with his bag in hand, as if he knew the way. He answered him as he walked, "No, I'm just cleaning up."
Lu Dongping followed him into the house: "Let me help you, it's already this late."
Xu Qingming took out the food one by one: "Everything is ready. What time do you leave for work? Will you be late? If it's still early, eat more."
"No, I'll help you and make something simple for you guys to eat."
Xu Qingming wanted to show off, so he wouldn't let him interfere: "No need, it's all ready. I'll just make some more pancakes, you go ahead and do your thing."
Lu Dongping ignored him and came out of the kitchen. Wen Wan just happened to invite Li Laiyu to sit in the living room and came out as well.
As soon as the couple met, Wen Wan grabbed his sleeve and walked towards the gate of the yard: "I want to tell you something."
Lu Dongping was confused and was dragged outside by her: "What's the matter?"
"Have you seen my classmate? My seventh brother is interested in her and is showing it."
Lu Dongping was slightly startled, then chuckled: "It's not easy, the old iron tree has blossomed!"
Wen Wan pinched him and said, "What old iron tree? He's not even as old as you."
Lu Dongping glanced at her and said, "There's no comparison, okay? By the way, do you want to go out for dinner? Leave the place for others."
Wen Wan shook her head: "That won't work. My seventh brother is so timid that he doesn't even dare to show any intention. If I run away, I'm afraid it will backfire."
She is now a mediator, stuck between the two of them, allowing Xu Qingming to advance or retreat.
Lu Dongping pulled the bicycle and said, "Okay, then I'll go to the police station first. I'll look for him later when I have a plan, so as not to say the wrong thing and hurt him."
Wen Wan waved and watched him leave before turning back to the yard.
The couple exchanged just a few words, and Xu Qingming had already prepared everything in the kitchen. What was rare was that Li Laiyu was also there, seemingly helping him.
Wen Wan took a quick glance, pretended not to see it, and tiptoed into the living room like a thief.
She discovered that Xu Qi was quite good at getting close to girls.
She has known Li Laiyu for more than half a year, and has never seen her so close to anyone else.
The room had already been tidied by Lu Dongping, so she found a few cups and poured some water out to dry. Just as she was done, Xu Qingming called out to her from the kitchen, "Wanwan, where are you?"
Wen Wan responded and peeked in the kitchen door: "Is the meal ready?"
"The porridge will have to wait a while, but you can eat the vegetables and bread first."
There were three dishes for three people. Two of them were prepared at home and packed by Xu Qingming. He left some in the kitchen and put the rest on plates. Li Laiyu helped to carry them.
Wen Wan hurried forward to take it: "I'll do it, I'll do it."
Li Lai Yu looked at her without saying anything and let her take the plate from him.
The food was on the table, and Xu Qingming went back to the kitchen. When he came back, he had two bottles of soda in his hands.
He opened the lid and placed it in front of Wen Wan and Li Lai Yu.
Wen Wan blinked her eyes: "Isn't this a summer drink? Why did you think of buying this when it's so cool now?"
"Don't you girls all like this? I saw some people drinking it even in the coldest weather. The colder it is, the more refreshing it is."
As he spoke, he picked up a piece of duck wing and put it in her bowl: "Try it, it's Ms. Wang Mengfang's exclusive recipe and secret recipe." As he spoke, the serving chopsticks in his hand fell into the plate again, and a duck leg naturally fell into Li Laiyu's bowl.
Li Laiyu's expression froze for a moment, and after a long while he said, "Thank you, I can do it myself!"
Wen Wan lowered her head, picked up the chicken wings from the bowl and took a bite, forcing herself to suppress the emotions she shouldn't have.
She realized she was completely unnecessary. Xu Qingming's talk of asking for her help was completely unnecessary. He'd been so thorough and attentive, yet he'd left no trace. She felt deeply that Xu Qingming had a plan: a protracted war, gradually eroding the girl's heart, and then winning her over in one fell swoop.
So, what's my business? Is it getting in the way?
After dinner, Wen Wan originally planned to wash the dishes by herself, but Xu Qingming wanted to show off, so she couldn't be so tactful and not give him the opportunity. After everything on the table was cleared, Xu Qingming went to the kitchen, and she sat on the sofa and talked to Li Laiyu.
The topics were vaguely related to Xu Qingming.
"I have three uncles, four brothers, and three sisters. The Xu family is different from other families. Girls are more precious than boys, so they are arranged according to birth time, regardless of gender. He is the youngest and the most mischievous. Since he was a child, the more he was not allowed to do something, the more he wanted to do it."
"My third uncle is a scholar who has been engaged in education for many years. He has a bit of a petty bourgeois style, which is a perfect match for my third aunt. They have been together for decades and their relationship is very good. My seventh brother is their only child, and even so, he is rarely disciplined. My grandfather and eldest uncle used to teach him. Apart from work and occasional visits to the compound, the rest of their time is just the two of them. To be honest, I rarely envy anyone, but I really envy their life."
How many people in this world can maintain a relationship that lasts for decades? Even between her and Lu Dongping, there is still a difference.
Li Laiyu said, "You and Comrade Lu Dongping have a very good relationship!"
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